Who we are - and why we wrote the books

Anne grew up in Halden, Norway as a country girl on a farm. She always dreamt of seeing the world and began her adventures with life as an au pair, studying languages in Switzerland, Germany and the USA. In New York, she embarked on a career in international shipping and later became comptroller of a large Norwegian shipping company’s Vancouver offices. When Anne met Martin at the age of 38, she was completely new to sailboats. Having grown up inland, she didn’t learn to swim until she was 16, was afraid of the water and became seasick easily. Anne never thought in her wildest imagination that one day she would exchange her comfortable life ashore with the often extreme challenges of life at sea – a decision she has never regretted!

MARTIN E. VENNESLAND

Martin was born with salt water in his blood. He grew up by the tang of the sea in the small village of Sagesund on the south coast of Norway and has sailed all his life. The dream of traveling to exotic and distant shores on his own keel took shape at an early age. As a young man he emigrated to Canada to become a professional forester. When taking early retirement to venture offshore, Martin was head of one of Canada’s largest forestry consulting firms. An avid outdoors person, he is happiest in the mountains, at his woodlot tending his cedars and Douglas firs or sailing on the high seas.

At the peak of their careers, Anne Brevig and Martin Vennesland made the decision of their lives: they chose freedom and a highly uncertain future on the high seas instead of secure jobs and the safety and comfort of life ashore.In order to finance their dream, they sold their house and most of their belongings and moved on-board their 40-foot sailboat. It became their one and only home for 15 years.Neither imagined that they were going to spend 9 years on the 7 seas and journey more than 56,000 nautical miles! NOR SIGLAR’s blue water adventure is not about breaking any records.Its main focus is meeting people from different backgrounds and cultures – encounters that take on entirely different dimensions when sailing off the beaten track far away from the traditional tourist routes. “Why are you rushing through Paradise?” homesteaders on an exotic Robinson Crusoe island asked.The question became a motto for Anne and Martin during the rest of their voyage.Slowing down, they were able to establish personal contacts with locals. The book is saturated with enchanting encounters, unique experiences and drama.They also found that paradise still exists and can be explored.Anne and Martin have crossed the big oceans and visited 76 countries and island nations. They have realized their dreams.

Now they hope that their book will inspire others to pursue their dreams – to dare to take the leap. It certainly gives a rare opportunity to live vicariously in NOR SIGLAR’S wake.

“We met people from all corners of the world, experienced the delight of bonding with fellow cruisers, brushed up on history and language skills and learned about other cultures.

We came to know and understand lifestyles completely different from our own and learned that it is possible to live quite happily in a variety of ways in this complex and fascinating world.”

Anne

The initiator and architect of converting the original printed edition into the text-only Kindle version, as well as designing and publishing the Seven Seas Adventure Series in all digital versions, is our longtime friend Halvor Nome.
He is also the designer, developer and webmaster of this web site.